DRINKING WATER
Smarter Control For Seasonal Demand: How Aquana Smart Valves Help Utilities Manage Frequent Water Shutoffs
Managing water service in high-turnover communities requires balancing operational costs with infrastructure protection. Remote control technology enables utilities to mitigate the risks of frequent shutoffs, reduce labor-intensive field visits, and detect leaks in vacant properties.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
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![A more measured world of water report.jpg]( "A More Measured World Of Water")
A More Measured World Of WaterMeasurement is critical to the water industry. Whether it’s improving efficiency levels, investing in infrastructure or funding innovation – one thing is certain, accuracy matters and the sums have to add up.
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Reconditioned And Rehabbed Filters Succeed At Large Treatment Plant
A large treatment plant includes several treatment processes that contribute to providing quality recycled water pursuant to the state of California Title 22 regulations. Major treatment processes include raw wastewater pumping, preliminary treatment, primary treatment, secondary treatment, tertiary treatment with Parkson DynaSand® filters, and disinfection.
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![GettyImages-1390096829 water analysis]( "Identifying Contaminants Of Concern")
Identifying Contaminants Of ConcernIn this article, we outline the sources, occurrence, known health issues, and mitigation options for specific contaminants.
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An 8-Point Checklist Of Pressure Gauge Application Best Practices
As electronic measurement, microprocessor or computerized control, and wireless networking have worked their way deeper into industrial processes, new opportunities for accuracy, convenience, and cost-saving efficiency have multiplied. Electronic accuracy and communication have delivered performance advantages down to even the simplest functions — including pressure readings.
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![Kelly Sommers]( "Making Microplastic Identification More Accessible")
Making Microplastic Identification More AccessibleImagine trying to count hundreds, thousands, even millions of tiny particles that are too small to see with the human eye. Now, imagine those tiny particles could be any shape, size, or color and are covered in mud. That’s a challenge that EPA chemist Michaela Cashman, PhD and other EPA researchers are taking on in their microplastics identification research.
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![Charlie-Video-Screenshot]( "Experience The Future Of Process Automation")
Experience The Future Of Process AutomationUpdated with new interactive features, videos, customer stories, and more, the Siemens Virtual Process Automation Solutions Center allows you to walk through the world of process measurement and control solutions – without ever having to move your feet. Hear directly from our experts about up-and-coming trends in industry standards as well as innovative technologies such as web-based process control, digitalization, integration of smart instrumentation, remote monitoring support, and more. Navigate around the room and click on the pop-up boxes to focus on the information that’s most important to you.
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How Calibration Impacts Flow Meter Performance
Utility managers and operators rely on flow meters to provide critical information for process monitoring and control. They require and fully expect the flow data to be accurate and reproducible.
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![levapor]( "Has The Ideal Biocarrier Finally Been Developed?")
Has The Ideal Biocarrier Finally Been Developed?In order to improve the efficiency of biofilm technologies, a high-performance biocarrier has been developed, based on requests for ideal carrier characteristics.
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![lead-pipe]( "Private Side Inventorying: Tackling The LCRR Challenge")
Private Side Inventorying: Tackling The LCRR ChallengeWith the revised Lead and Copper Rule calling for a full Lead Service Line Inventory by October of 2024, water professionals must begin a massive-scale project. No part of the challenge is more daunting than collecting information on private-side service lines–and systems across the nation have a long road ahead of them to get the data needed to succeed in this project.
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FEDI Solution For Sohar Refinery Project
Orpic (Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company) required a thermal seawater desalination solution as part of its Sohar refinery improvement project to ensure an uninterrupted supply of fresh feed water to for its boilers.
DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES
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Veterinary Drug Residue Analysis Using The AutoMate-Q40: An Automated Solution To QuEChERS10/1/2014
QuEChERS is a Quick-Easy-Cheap-Effective-Rugged-Safe extraction method that has been developed for the determination of pesticide residues in agricultural commodities.
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Analyzing Total Organic Carbon In Sea Water4/2/2015
The analysis of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in seawater can be both challenging and expensive. The concentration of organic carbon in seawater is of considerable interest. The effect this matrix can have on TOC analyzers can lead to rapid consumable turnover, costly maintenance and repairs.
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Industry-Specific Applications For UV Technology6/17/2024
In Microelectronics, Aquafine UV systems provide a synergistic approach towards the reduction of trace organics and microbial contamination for ultrapure water.
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Innovative Solutions To Drinking Water Decontamination In Small And Medium Treatment Plants9/21/2017
Air stripping technology effectively removes VOCs, THMs, and CO2 for improved adherence to water quality regulations.
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TOC Monitoring In Process Return Condensate4/23/2021
Industrial power plants or co-generation power plants utilize steam for industrial purposes other than power production.
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Real-Time Water Quality Data For Agriculture9/23/2020
We arm farmers with mission-critical water data to help enhance crop yield and taste. KETOS delivers valuable insights for fluctuations in deficiency and toxicity.
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Background And Summary Of Tests For The 2000PV Restraint4/13/2021
The 2000PV is a restraint for PVC pipe and the standardized mechanical joint. This product is the result of years of testing and evaluation and its performance has been proven by thousands of hours of proof tests, as well as third-party evaluations. This report describes the 2000PV through the 12" size.
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Dissolved Oxygen Measurement11/11/2013
One of the most important measurements in the determination of the health of a body of water is its dissolved oxygen content. The quantity of dissolved oxygen in water is normally expressed in parts per million (ppm) by weight and is due to the solubility of oxygen from the atmosphere around us.
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Application Note: Troubleshooting A pH Electrode1/26/2011
Many factors affect performance of a pH electrode. When performance degrades, it is always a challenge for the analyst to identify the cause. Common troubleshooting procedures, which include evaluation of slope, electrode drift, time response, and accuracy, take considerable time. By Thermo Fisher Scientific
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How To Install A Submersible Pump In Discharge Tubes11/28/2012
In the fields of water and waste water technology, submersible pumps represent a viable economic and technical alternative to conventional, dry-installed pumps. In particular, they offer a number of handling advantages during maintenance and installation work.
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
The BRUSHAWAY assembly consists of nylon brushes fitted on a frame and inserted into the filter screen. A simple handle, outside the filter, brushes away particles from the screen surface, and expels them out from the filter.
The EyeOnWater consumer engagement tool gives utility customers the power to manage their water use through easy-to-understand consumption graphs and configurable leak notifications, providing timely, visual access to their water usage behavior.
The Amiad Omega Series are automatic filters, with multiple screens operated by a common electric driven screen cleaning mechanism.
The E-Series® Ultrasonic Plus meter uses transit time technology to measure cold potable water and incorporates an integrated valve into the lay length of the meter. This valve feature allows water utilities to actuate the valve remotely to temporarily restrict water service safely and efficiently.
The Series 2000PV MEGALUG Mechanical Joint Restraint is the fastest and most economical method of restraining PVC pipe to mechanical joints. It can be used with C900, C905 or IPS OD PVC pipe. For sizes 42 through 48 inch See Series 2200
De Nora offers reliable, robust and proven ozone solutions to ensure peace of mind, backed by extensive global experience.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
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![businesswoman asking question in education event-GettyImages-2198836359]( "AMI Under The Microscope: Beaverton Water Division Answers Questions About Its AMI Transition")
Beaverton Water Division’s transition to Kamstrup AMI and acoustic leak detection is modernizing meter reading, reducing infrastructure costs, improving leak identification, and streamlining operations as deployment progresses.
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![Texas Flag-GettyImages-942623440]( "Meeting Demand, Ensuring Compliance: A Success Story In Executing Fast-Paced Water System Improvements In Missouri City, Texas")
Learn how the Mustang Bayou Service Area (MBSA) Water System Improvements project delivered a fast-tracked, multi-phase response to rapid development and critical capacity challenges in one of the Missouri City’s fastest-growing regions.
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![Legionella pneumophila-GettyImages-1451790531]( "Legionella And The Need For Next-Generation Detection: Steps Water Utilities Can Take To Alleviate The Risk")
As water systems grow more complex and climate patterns shift, Legionella is emerging as one of the most persistent and underestimated risks in the built environment. The threat to public health from Legionnaires' disease will likely further escalate unless decisive action is taken. -
![maasjackson]( "Metering as a Service Improves Jackson, MS, Water Infrastructure")
The city of Jackson faced a water crisis that went beyond the tap. What began as an ambitious plan to modernize its water metering infrastructure in 2014 became a logistical and financial nightmare, costing the city millions in lost revenue and declining public trust. Metering as a Service (MaaS) offered the city an alternative option. -
![leadpipeInground_Getty-2211014580]( "The Final Mile: The U.S. Simply Must Rush To Finish Its Critical Lead-Pipe Cleanup")
There has been an abundance of funding available to address the estimated 9.2 million lead service lines currently deliver drinking water to homes, businesses, schools, and unsuspecting citizens throughout the United States. So it is disheartening to realize that millions of lead water lines are still delivering water to citizens. -
![Digital communication-GettyImages-2042965298]( "Beaverton's New AMI Solution Checks Every Box: Operations, Billing, Service, And Savings")
This Q&A follows the Webinar: Beaverton's New AMI Solution Checks Every Box: Operations, Billing, Service, & Savings hosted by Water Online on October 21, 2025. The webinar featured the leadership team from Beaverton Water Division as they discussed lessons learned across operations, billing, and customer service, offering a 360-degree perspective on implementing and managing an AMI system.
DRINKING WATER VIDEOS
Stanford Earth’s Rosemary Knight recently spearheaded a project to map underground freshwater resources and forecast the intrusion of saltwater into aquifers beneath the California coastal town of Marina.
RIP Kitty Hach-Darrow (October 20, 1922 - June 4, 2020), co-founder of Hach Company
The recoating of a potable water tank in Lancaster, PA, included an already tight timeframe and several challenges that cause delays.
ABOUT DRINKING WATER
In most developed countries, drinking water is regulated to ensure that it meets drinking water quality standards. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers these standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
Drinking water considerations can be divided into three core areas of concern:
- Source water for a community’s drinking water supply
- Drinking water treatment of source water
- Distribution of treated drinking water to consumers
Drinking Water Sources
Source water access is imperative to human survival. Sources may include groundwater from aquifers, surface water from rivers and streams and seawater through a desalination process. Direct or indirect water reuse is also growing in popularity in communities with limited access to sources of traditional surface or groundwater.
Source water scarcity is a growing concern as populations grow and move to warmer, less aqueous climates; climatic changes take place and industrial and agricultural processes compete with the public’s need for water. The scarcity of water supply and water conservation are major focuses of the American Water Works Association.
Drinking Water Treatment
Drinking Water Treatment involves the removal of pathogens and other contaminants from source water in order to make it safe for humans to consume. Treatment of public drinking water is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Common examples of contaminants that need to be treated and removed from water before it is considered potable are microorganisms, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals and radionuclides.
There are a variety of technologies and processes that can be used for contaminant removal and the removal of pathogens to decontaminate or treat water in a drinking water treatment plant before the clean water is pumped into the water distribution system for consumption.
The first stage in treating drinking water is often called pretreatment and involves screens to remove large debris and objects from the water supply. Aeration can also be used in the pretreatment phase. By mixing air and water, unwanted gases and minerals are removed and the water improves in color, taste and odor.
The second stage in the drinking water treatment process involves coagulation and flocculation. A coagulating agent is added to the water which causes suspended particles to stick together into clumps of material called floc. In sedimentation basins, the heavier floc separates from the water supply and sinks to form sludge, allowing the less turbid water to continue through the process.
During the filtration stage, smaller particles not removed by flocculation are removed from the treated water by running the water through a series of filters. Filter media can include sand, granulated carbon or manufactured membranes. Filtration using reverse osmosis membranes is a critical component of removing salt particles where desalination is being used to treat brackish water or seawater into drinking water.
Following filtration, the water is disinfected to kill or disable any microbes or viruses that could make the consumer sick. The most traditional disinfection method for treating drinking water uses chlorine or chloramines. However, new drinking water disinfection methods are constantly coming to market. Two disinfection methods that have been gaining traction use ozone and ultra-violet (UV) light to disinfect the water supply.
Drinking Water Distribution
Drinking water distribution involves the management of flow of the treated water to the consumer. By some estimates, up to 30% of treated water fails to reach the consumer. This water, often called non-revenue water, escapes from the distribution system through leaks in pipelines and joints, and in extreme cases through water main breaks.
A public water authority manages drinking water distribution through a network of pipes, pumps and valves and monitors that flow using flow, level and pressure measurement sensors and equipment.
Water meters and metering systems such as automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) allows a water utility to assess a consumer’s water use and charge them for the correct amount of water they have consumed.